


Inadequate

by SquaryQ



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Adulthood, Aged-Up Character(s), Ballet, Career Envy, Comfort, Education, Established Relationship, F/F, Future Fic, Growing Up, Idols, Insecurity, Jealousy, Prima Ballerina, When your girlfriend is a ballerina and your other girlfriend is an idol and you're just a teacher, envy - Freeform, insecure Nozomi, professional musician, reassurance, rocky relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-24 22:17:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17712665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquaryQ/pseuds/SquaryQ
Summary: Nozomi didn’t want to feel left behind, but she couldn’t help but struggle to keep up with, not one, but both of her girlfriends.





	Inadequate

Nozomi Tojou wasn’t the most ambitious child, she’d never settled in a place for long enough to work out where her strengths were best placed. She was a coaster, a drifter, managing good grades until she finally got a chance to plant roots and build her life. She was going to remain at Otonokizaka Academy.

It was there, on her first day as a First Year High School Student, that Nozomi met Elicchi; the girl who would later become her best friend. She struggled sometimes, not knowing the best way to express herself. After a few days of trying, most girls in her class gave up on her. And that was when Nozomi saw her chance.

At the end of school on the last day of that first week, she hurtled herself down two flights of stairs, chasing the blonde girl who sat just a few rows in front of her.

“Wait!” she’d shouted.

And for just a moment, Eli Ayase actually had stopped, floored by the gesture, she had been moved to a state of complete stillness, gawking up at Nozomi, as she panted, staring up at her with a befuddled expression.

“Who are you?” she’d asked.

For a moment, Nozomi also froze, she took a deep breath and forced a smile, “I’m Nozomi Tojou!”

“I’m Eli Ayase,” she’d replied, waiting for Nozomi to scuttle down the steps. She joined her and the pair exchanged a small smile.

“It’s nice to meet you,” they had said in unison.

The pair had walked all the way to Arisa’ middle school together, before Nozomi realised she was supposed to have turned right a few streets ago, and with a crimson face, she departed. But not before Eli asked her to wait on the corner so they could go to school together the next day.

From that point on, the duo had been inseperable, and they eventually realised that their feelings toward each other were not entirely platonic. 

To this day, the girls were unsure who instigated their relationship officially. It just seemed like a natural evolution in the social spectrum from where they initially started. Eventually, they’d take detours on their way toward Arisa’s school, going via the high street and nosing about the bookstores and candy shops. Eventually, they pretty much stopped picking Arisa up completely, opting instead to go out for dessert every week. Parfaits became a quick favourite.

Eventually they were sharing umbrellas and sending kisses in messages until eventually, they snaked their hands together and that was it.

Not long after that, at the start of their second year, they happened across the plucky Nico Yazawa. A girl that was as strong in her ambitions as Eli, desperate to make her dreams a reality.

They just didn’t know how to approach her. And so, they waited for her to come to them, like they did with everyone else. But she never did.

It had been Eli who suggested that the pair join the student council, they had strong ideals, and were unwilling to compromise when regarding their ideals. They knew what they wanted out of their high school experience and as soon as the words has left Elicchi’s mouth, Nozomi completely agreed. Student Government would be an amazing way to make friends.

It was in their third year of high school that Nozomi and Eli finally got the chance to be in the company of like-minded girls, and they managed to find them in abundance. But the one that the couple were happiest to see amongst the social circle was super-idol in the making, Nico Yazawa.

She’d been bold and brash from the get go, but was ultimately an amazing asset to their idol group, let alone their relationship. They needed someone slightly more extroverted to bring them out of their shells, and Nico definitely did that.

Which was epitomised when backstage, after their live performance of Snow Halation, a love song from all nine of the girls, Nico had stood on her tiptoes and kissed Nozomi. Then promptly spun on her heels and kissed Eli, just as firmly, clapped her hands together, put them on her hips and attempted to stride off, only to be captured in an embrace.

And then two turned into three.

Nozomi always knew she wasn’t as ferociously ambitious as her fellow idols in Muse. She understood that there were things that she wasn’t necessarily going to excel at but one thing she did manage to grasp, with relative ease, was that she enjoyed being at Otonokizaka Academy, and would have stayed forever if she could have.

Which was how she got into teaching. Albeit one of the more nasal voiced of the girls in Muse, her prowess as a singer was undisputable, so when she applied for the position of Music Teacher, she got it instantly. No other candidate had the same level of renown, or a fresh new degree under her belt.

She was happy there, and comfortable, eager to encourage young girls to embrace themselves and enjoy their lives at Otonokizaka.

But she couldn’t help but feel a little green monster brewing inside when Eli got a letter from the Russian National Ballet, with a request for her to join their newest show, with a fistful of tickets to the opening night stuffed in the envelope. Of course she was proud of Elicchi, she would be a fool not to be, and she knew she deserved to finally be in the spotlight of the stage she’d always yearned for, but watching her do that was much harder than Nozomi, or Nico had anticipated.

A year or so after Elicchi made her debut as a Prima Ballerina, Nico got signed as a solo artist. She had finally done it, releasing an album within months of being a contracted artist, each track loaded with the overbearing fruity charisma that always made her so appealing as a school idol all those years ago.

And there Nozomi was, singing Doe-Ray-Me with fifteen-year-old girls in class choirs. And as much as she was enjoying it, she was desperate to do something more. Her fellow former group-mates were excelling in their new fields. She wished she could feel the same satisfaction.

When Nozomi and Nico flew off to Moscow to watch their girlfriend onstage, the feelings of resentment melted away like butter on potatoes. Instead, her body swelled with pride to the same extent that she was sure theirs did when she came back with her job.

In that moment, Nozomi couldn’t help but smile. 


End file.
